Hi David:
I can't resist adding my two cents here.
I agree the basic element of the attunement process is intent - both the intent of the reiki master and of the receiver.
I also believe that there are many different attunement sets or processes out there. The one which I received for level I had 4 attunements. Each one of these attunements was necessary as it worked on a different part of the body in addition to the hands.
The set my Masters taught me, when I reached Master Teacher level, had two attunements at level I. Both of these were the same process, just repeated. Each one spent time working on each of the revelevant body areas. So my advice would be to look carefully at the specific attunement process you are planning to use and check to see if all the elements are covered by it, then decide whether you think only one, or perhaps two attunemts would be sufficient.
It is thought that Dr. Usui would pass attunements to his students each time he worked with them, so multiple attunemtns won't hurt and can be very enjoyable.
Let us know how it goes! Blessings, batwings
